This study investigates the reconstruction of Bisaccia, a small inland town in the southern Apennines of Italy, following major natural disasters, with a focus on its urban and socio-economic development. Bisaccia was historically hit by strong earthquakes, particularly the 23 November 1980 event, and recurrent landslides due to the geological peculiarity of the area. These natural hazards significantly shaped settlement patterns and urban organization over time. We analyse how Bisaccia has historically responded to seismic and hydrogeological crises, identifying challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in inland towns. The research examines the interplay between disaster impact, urban planning, and socio-economic dynamics, highlighting the long-term consequences of reconstruction decisions. The methodology combines historical and urban analysis. Historical documents, reconstruction plans were analysed alongside a detailed photographic survey of the contemporary urban fabric. Particular attention is given to the post-1980 reconstruction designed by architect Aldo Loris Rossi, whose modern and visionary approach shaped the new town’s atypical urban layout. By integrating historical, architectural, and urban perspectives, the study contributes to understanding resilience, spatial planning, and socio-economic sustainability in disaster-prone regions. The findings offer insights into how strategic reconstruction can balance heritage preservation, urban innovation, and longterm community development.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a recurring social problem that has individual, interpersonal, community, and societal level consequences necessitating interdisciplinary knowledge and a holistic, systemic approach for prevention. Recent research on IPV indicates the need to identify the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for IPV risk and subsequent consequences to inform mitigation solutions. Using a mixed-methods design, this rapid assessment research aims to address an existing gap by gathering primary data on the perceived risk and protective factors in addressing IPV through interviews, focus group discussions (n = 102), and surveys (n = 324) from a purposive sample of victim service providers (VSPs) in all US states, Washington, D.C., and five major inhabited territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands). The study findings indicate that existing risk factors have increased, alongside the emergence of new ones at the individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels. We also identified 35 proactive protection measures that VSPs concocted during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate IPV in their communities. Integrating insights from public health and social advocacy theoretical models, this study provides survivor-centered, community-level solutions to prevent IPV in both public emergencies and non-emergency situations. This research highlights the importance of recognizing the convergence of IPV risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, as factors such as the political climate, natural disasters, and health crises-including pandemics-can exacerbate existing risk factors, thereby underscoring the need for prevention efforts more than ever.

Natural disasters and foreign aid allocation: how much, how quickly, and to whom?

Takostubo syndrome: A mind-body response to stress.

Due to global change, natural disasters such as floods have become more frequent in recent years. An effective impact assessment of highway networks before and during floods can help transportation departments prioritize resources and take necessary emergency measures. Although current works have assessed the flood impacts from different perspectives, none have comprehensively evaluated the integrated impacts that capture network structural, functional, and social features, limiting their reliability for decision-making and resilience planning in engineering management. To address this gap, we proposed a graph neural network (GNN)-based framework that incorporates two synthesized indicators—the disaster impact index and criticality score—to integrate structural, functional, and social features. These multidimensional features were inputs to the GNN model, enabling it to capture complex interdependencies and more accurately predict traffic flow and speed under disasters. The practicality of this framework was demonstrated in the case study of Harris County affected by floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. The results showed that Beltway 8, IH-10, and IH-45 were most vulnerable to potential impacts before the flood, while Beltway 8, US-59, and IH-10 were most impacted during the flood, highlighting the need for proactive preflood preparedness and prioritized postflood recovery for these critical roadways. The proposed framework captures complex interdependencies among multidimensional features and more accurately predicts traffic flow and speed. Consequently, it provides a more realistic prediction of the uncertainties in transportation network performance under disasters, offering a robust and practical tool for resilience planning and resource prioritization of other critical infrastructure systems in engineering management.

Peripheral nerve injuries are a major clinical challenge, interrupting neural connectivity between the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral organs. Traumatic events, natural disasters, and accidents often cause these complex injuries. Recent studies highlight the neurogenic potential of dexamethasone, retinoic acid, and umbilical cord blood stem cells in promoting nerve regeneration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design electrospun conduits based on PLCL, gelatin, and collagen, along with dexamethasone, retinoic acid, carboxymethyl chitosan, and umbilical cord blood cells to repair sciatic nerve injuries. The chemical and physical properties of the conduits, in addition to biocompatibility and cytotoxicity, were evaluated with different experiments. Finally, the conduits were implanted into a 10mm defect in the mouse sciatic nerve, and tissue regeneration was assessed after 3 months by related tests. The results showed that the presence of dexamethasone in the conduit designed improved biocompatibility, wettability, degradation rate, tensile strength, and increased cell viability. After seeding the umbilical cord blood cells on the conduit, the results showed good efficacy of the conduit, improving sensory and motor function and increasing nerve regeneration. These results indicate the potential of the resulting conduits as a promising tool for repairing nerve injuries and clinical trials.

The relationship between problem behaviors in the classroom and self-regulation and executive function among five-year-old children four years after a large-scale earthquake.

Chemical complexity and enrichment in wildland-urban interface fire emissions: A case study of particulate matter, gas-phase pollutants, and ash from the 2025 Los Angeles fires.

A forensic investigation and simulation-based analysis of a chemical plant explosion accident.

To examine the psychological effects of weather-related catastrophes and mental health needs in Central Appalachia and to develop community-driven, culturally grounded solutions for trauma recovery in this underserved rural region. Researchers from the University of Kentucky initiated an academic-community partnership with residents of several flood-affected Central Appalachian counties in Eastern Kentucky impacted by a widespread flooding event. The partnership engaged three stakeholder groups: community researchers (local residents trained in research methods serving as bridges between community perspectives and academic expertise), trainees, and academic faculty in the collaborative development of sustainable, long-term research relationships. The process was designed to honor local cultural strengths and remain sensitive to the compounding challenges of disaster recovery layered on broader systemic regional health inequities. This article presents the perspectives of the three stakeholder groups as they navigated the early stages of establishing an academic-community partnership. Stakeholder reflections illuminate the processes, challenges, and early progress involved in building trust and shared research infrastructure in a community recovering from major flood events within a context of chronic regional adversity. Developing sustainable, culturally sensitive academic-community partnerships in Central Appalachia is both feasible and necessary. Community-engaged approaches that center local knowledge and cultural strengths hold promise for addressing trauma recovery needs in regions disproportionately affected by natural disasters and systemic health challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

BackgroundChildren are particularly vulnerable to the psychological and nutritional consequences of natural disasters such as earthquakes. Understanding the relationship between mental health outcomes and food insecurity is essential for effective post-disaster interventions.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressive symptoms among children exposed to the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye, and to examine their nutritional status and household food security.MethodsA multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and August 2025 among 782 children aged 6-17 years from twelve earthquake-affected provinces. Participants were recruited using stratified cluster sampling from schools and community health centers. Psychological outcomes were assessed using validated instruments (CPSS, SCARED, CDI). Nutritional status was evaluated using anthropometric measurements, dietary diversity indicators, and standardized food security scales.ResultsOverall, 21.7% of participants met the CPSS cut-off for probable PTSD, with a higher prevalence among girls. Anxiety symptoms were identified in 25.8% and depressive symptoms in 21.4% of children. Nutritional assessment showed that 11.3% were underweight and 18.6% were overweight or obese. Additionally, 40.3% of households experienced food insecurity.ConclusionMental health problems and nutritional vulnerability frequently co-occur among children after earthquake exposure. Integrated interventions addressing both psychological well-being and food security are essential to support recovery in disaster-affected populations.

The gendered burden of natural disasters: Evidence from two catastrophic earthquakes in Türkiye.

ABSTRACT This study was aimed to develop the Preschool Psychosocial Resilience Indicators Test for Natural Disasters (PRINDS), a test designed to assess the psychological resilience of preschool children in the context of disasters. The study was conducted from March 2024 to July 2025 in four kindergartens across two provinces in Turkey, involving 218 children aged between 4 and 6 years. During the process of developing the test, studies were performed on item formulation and content, developmental, face, and construct validity. This study employed both expert opinions and the ‘think-aloud’ method. The analyses yielded a four-factor structure (67.78% variance): disaster knowledge, first aid, emotional awareness, and coping. The Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.78 to 0.83, with a total scale score of 0.87. PRINDS study was determined to be both valid and reliable. The PRINDS offers a comprehensive assessment tool that may contribute to early identification of resilience strengths and development of disaster preparedness strategies.

Recurrent crises like natural disasters, pandemics, and armed conflicts constitute a persistent traumatic reality for communities worldwide, significantly affecting students, teachers, and parents. While the importance of education in emergencies is well recognized, the research in western contexts has largely focused on acute collective traumas, with less attention to schools facing ongoing war and political conflict traumas. To address this gap, the study explored Israeli teachers' (N = 1,100) and parents' (N = 710) expectations of school psychosocial and material support for students, staff members, and parents; their evaluations of the actual support provided; and discrepancies between the two during the October 7 Israel-Hamas war. t tests were used to compare the school's expected role versus evaluations of provided support regarding students, teachers, and parents and to compare teachers' and parents' perceptions of roles and support provided. Analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations were used to explore associations between participants' background characteristics and their expectations of schools. Both groups emphasized schools' crucial role in providing emotional support and guidance, but notable gaps existed between expectations and actual support, especially regarding counseling (teachers: ta = 28.44, d = 1.07; parents: ta = 33.03, d = 1.08). Parents and teachers also differed in their expectations and perceptions, highlighting the need to include all stakeholder perspectives. The findings indicate the need for increased resources for emotional support, structured guidance, and systemic backing. Enhancing school-family communication and aligning expectations are also vital during crises. The authors stress the importance of preparing for future recurrent emergencies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been reported among both survivors and response workers following large natural disasters. The Japan Disaster Rehabilitation Assistance Team (JRAT) provides rehabilitation-focused support;however, few studies have examined post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among JRAT members. This study investigated the relationship between PTSS and the physical and mental conditions of JRAT members during support activities. A questionnaire on job type, activity location, sleep quality, meal quality, fatigue, physical symptoms, and psychological symptoms was distributed among 23 JRAT members one month after deployment. PTSS were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), a self-report screening questionnaire. Overall, 27.3% of participants were classified into the probable PTSS group. Compared with the non-probable group, they reported significantly poorer sleep quality, more physical symptoms, and greater fatigue, whereas psychological symptoms were more common in the non-probable group. Our findings suggest that limited disaster relief experience, discrepancies between expectations and reality, and stress responses during relief activities may be associated with higher PTSS levels among JRAT members, underscoring the importance of comprehensive management of both physical and mental health across deployment phases.

Natural disasters have increasingly threatened population health, but their global impacts on fertility remain uncertain. This study aims to quantify global fertility loss attributable to natural disasters and its socioeconomic disparities. We conducted a two-stage analysis using disaster records from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) and total fertility rate (TFR) and net reproductive rate (NRR) data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database. First, we used country-year panel data to assess exposure-response functions. Second, we estimated spatiotemporal distributions and inequalities of global, regional, and national fertility losses attributable to natural disasters. Here we show that, globally, floods and storms contribute to annual TFR losses of 103.79 and 38.75 per 100,000 women of childbearing age. Flood-attributable TFR loss is most pronounced in South Asia, particularly in low-SDI and low-income countries, whereas storm-attributable TFR loss is greater in high-SDI and middle-income countries. For NRR, epidemics, storms, floods, and earthquakes contribute to losses of 35.26, 32.36, 31.96, and 24.53 per 100,000 women of childbearing age annually. South Asia shows the highest NRR losses attributable to floods, storms, and earthquakes, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa shows the highest epidemic-attributable NRR loss. Epidemic- and flood-attributable NRR losses are higher in low-SDI and low-income countries, whereas earthquake- and storm-attributable NRR losses are higher in middle- to high-SDI and income countries. Floods, storms, earthquakes, and epidemics contribute to significant fertility loss worldwide, with geographical and socioeconomic disparities. Regions prone to these disasters should implement local-specific reproductive health strategies to maintain sustainable demographic structures.

Accurate classification of infrasound signals is an important research topic in the fields of nuclear explosion monitoring and natural disaster early warning. Current studies often rely on empirical selection of time-frequency analysis methods to characterize denoised signals, lacking a systematic evaluation of different methods under noisy conditions within a unified framework. To address this issue, this study takes six types of non-denoised infrasound signals—including nuclear tests, chemical explosions, and lightning—as research objects, and systematically compares the comprehensive performance of Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT), Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT), and Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT) in a convolutional neural network (CNN) classification model. Experimental results show that STFT achieves the best overall performance under the configuration of a Hanning window with a length of 1 s and NFFT = 1,024, with a classification accuracy of 98.35%, significantly outperforming CWT and HHT. Meanwhile, STFT requires the shortest computation time (0.85 s) and exhibits the fastest model convergence. Further analysis reveals that the inherent smoothing and consistency provided by the fixed window function of STFT contribute to stronger robustness and feature stability in noisy environments. This study simplifies the classification pipeline, avoids information loss and computational overhead caused by denoising preprocessing, emphasizes the importance of selecting time-frequency methods under noisy conditions, and provides a more efficient and reliable engineering solution for real-time infrasound monitoring systems, demonstrating strong practical application value.

Disasters in the United States are increasing in frequency and severity, yet many nurses lack formal education in disaster management. Faculty at a School of Nursing developed a comprehensive approach to integrate disaster preparedness training across all academic programs. Faculty conducted a literature review and convened monthly to assess curricular gaps using AACN Essentials and emergency response frameworks, with an emphasis on health disparities in vulnerable populations. A public health emergency response model identified existing competencies and deficits. The framework employs a hybrid top-down and bottom-up approach, ensuring consistent competency standards while incorporating community-based learning across baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral programs. Integrating disaster preparedness throughout nursing curricula using competency-based frameworks and community partnerships prepares graduates to respond effectively to increasing disaster events, ensuring nurse readiness for local, national, and global emergencies.

Citizens’ proper response and responsible behaviour is crucial to cope with natural hazards. CON.I.RI. (Convivere con i Rischi Naturali - Living with Natural Risks) is an educational path on seismic and hydrogeological risk reduction by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) within the FCR (Future Responsible Citizens) and FCR 2.0 environmental educational projects. The on-going educational initiative was designed and started online during the COVID-19 pandemic to engage classrooms of all order schools of Sicilia region in distance learning. The main challenge is favoring the school-based disaster preparedness, as well as the difference in lifesaving skills in case of earthquake, tsunami, flood and landslides. The natural risk mitigation approach is based on full engagement of students in activities able to create skills for life in risk understanding to trigger transfomative learning. About 300 students were involved in the first year (2020-2021), 2200 students in the second year (2021-2022), more than 4500 ones in the third year (2022-2023) and about 4000 students in the forth year (2023-2024) and in the fifth year (2024-2025) of activities. The crucial phase to prevent damage is focused on reflecting with researcher on natural and human-made disasters on the environment. A simultaneous online race between all classes closes the educational program in an amusing cooperative way to develop lifesaving skills playing thematic digital serious games on safe behavior.

ABSTRACT This study investigates how Bangladeshi Islamic preachers interpreted the 2025 Southern California wildfires in YouTube sermons to understand how climate events are re-framed through religious and geopolitical discourses in the Global South. It employs the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) within Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how meaning is constructed transnationally around the wildfires. The findings show that preachers did not frame the event as a natural disaster but framed it as divine punishment visited upon the United States for perceived Western immorality and its foreign policy, particularly its support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The preachers combined theological reasoning, political grievance, and cultural critique in their interpretation of a climate event using emotionally charged narratives. In doing so, they reject the dominant techno-scientific explanation of climate events. The paper argues that religious sermons in the Global South context function as sites of environmental meaning-making, and thus a “totalizing narrative” is constructed, where environmental phenomena are interpreted through the lens of broader moral and geopolitical frameworks. The study contributes to environmental communication by showing how religious actors in the Global South reframe climate events in their preaching and how affective and politicized climate discourse circulate transnationally.